George Fenneman

Birthday

Nov 10, 1919

Bio:

Best-remembered for being the radio and television emcee of Groucho Marx's You Bet Your Life from the late '40s through the late '50s, George Fenneman also occasionally acted on television and in feature films. Born in Beijing (formerly Peking), China, Fenneman was raised in San Francisco, CA. Following his graduation from San Francisco State College… MoreBio:

Best-remembered for being the radio and television emcee of Groucho Marx's You Bet Your Life from the late '40s through the late '50s, George Fenneman also occasionally acted on television and in feature films. Born in Beijing (formerly Peking), China, Fenneman was raised in San Francisco, CA. Following his graduation from San Francisco State College with a B.A. in speech and drama in 1942, he was hired by San Francisco's KGO radio (an ABC affiliate). Fenneman was a radio correspondent for the Office of War Information during WWII. While there he befriended Jack Webb and would later work for the producer/actor on the radio and television versions of Webb's Dragnet. Following his discharge, Fenneman and his wife, Peggy, moved to Los Angeles. In late 1947, You Bet Your Life premiered and was a smash hit. Fenneman was also in demand for other radio announcing jobs and his voice was heard on such shows as the Orson Welles Show and the Hedda Hopper Show. The same applied to his television career and Fenneman was associated with everything from The Life of Riley to The Donny and Marie Show. His feature film credits include The Thing (1951) and How to Succeed in Business Without Even Trying (1967). Fenneman died of respiratory failure on May 29, 1997, at the age of 77.